When the Stars Shine Brightest
by Insolent Lynx
Summary: Lissana's return has Lucy pondering the bonds of family. A fateful (or perhaps entirely expected) prompting from her landlady sees her to Acalypha to earn some rent money and spend some time reconnecting with her estranged father. However, one unexpected meeting and a snap decision snowballs into a series of events that change everything.
1. Chapter 1: Homes

The party at the Fairy Tail good was in full swing; as it had been for the last two weeks. Raucous laughter was punctuated by the occasional flying chair or table as the entire guild celebrated the return of one of their own. Lisanna had returned to them, as though by an act of providence, and the guild was sparing no reason to prolong the welcome home party as long as possible. Missed birthdays, Christmases and various holidays were all being made up for in one frenzied, inevitably drunken fervor. The guild's celestial mage, one Lucy Heartfilia, sat in one of the corners, resting her head in her hand as she watched her guildmates with an amused smile.

"Hey, Lu. What's wrong?"

The blond in question turned to her blue haired friend, "Oh, nothing's wrong, Levy. I just needed a break, you know. I think if I even consider taking so much as another sip of alcohol, I'll drown."

Levy laughed at her and nodded her understanding, "Yeah, this has got to be some kind of record. But what a miracle though. To think she was alive all this time."

"Yeah, I'm really happy for everyone. Especially Mira and Elfman. The entire guild seems brighter than before."

Levy smiled and nodded, and the two girls spent some time simply watching the festivities. At length, Lucy sighed and stood, "Well, I'm going to head home. Two weeks of straight partying really takes it out of you. See you!" With a wave, the blond made her precarious way to the exit, masterfully dodging the errant furniture that came her way.

"There you are!"

"Ah! Landlady!" The blond couldn't help the cold sweat that broke across her skin as the older woman glared at her. Something told her this wasn't a simple exchange of pleasantries.

"You didn't pay your rent."

Lucy flinched, mentally going over the calendar before blanching, "I… Uh…"

"I expect the full payment by the end of this week."

"Yes, ma'am!" Lucy squeaked with a fearful salute before ducking into her apartment. Groaning to herself, she made her way to a small box and slipped a small key into the lock, "I was so caught up in the party that I completely forgot about rent. Can't believe it," She counted the jewel she'd been saving and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, I'm only 20,000 off. I can go on a small job tomorrow and get this out of my hair." Nodding to herself, she wandered into the kitchen and opened the cupboards. Her eyebrow ticked in irritation as she realized her walking garbage disposal of a partner had cleaned out her foodstuffs again. Grumbling, she walked back to her box, opened it, and withdrew a small amount before venturing out to find a cheap meal.

"Maybe I should switch to vegetarian. That would keep him from eating everything," she mumbled to herself as she walked back, with her small order of sushi. She really did need to do something about her team's utter disregard for personal space. Yes, she loved them dearly, but she really couldn't afford to fill their stomachs and replace the furniture they damaged on a weekly basis. Shaking her head, she changed for bed, resolving to take a job first thing the next morning.

The guild was experiencing a rare moment of silence when she slipped through the doors early the next morning. Smiling serenely to herself, Lucy carefully stepped over her slumbering guildmates as she made her way over to the job board. She'd decided last night that she was going to take this job on her own; everyone was still so wrapped up in celebrations, and she didn't want to spoil that for anyone. She'd take a modest job, one that she could confidently do without the brute strength of her team. The idea of receiving the full reward made her somewhat giddy as she scanned the job board for potential candidates. Finally, a flier caught her eye. A shipping crew just outside of Acalypha wanted some extra hands with offloading some delicate cargo, and an escort into town. Her eyes widened at the reward: 150,000 jewel. She nodded to herself; Taurus could offload cargo without breaking a sweat, and it wasn't too far between the loading bay and the town.

"Acalypha, huh?" Lucy murmured, turning her gaze towards the sleeping Strauss family. All three of them were cuddled together, finally reunited. The sight put a thoughtful frown on Lucy's face. Her father worked at the merchant's guild in Acalypha. She'd be right there, maybe it would be nice to visit? She chewed her bottom lip doubtfully, remembering the myriad times she'd tried to visit her father in his study back home. It had never gone well. She shook herself, "Then and now are not the same," She murmured. Besides, her father had tried to reach out to her. Pride would only rob them both of more time. She had the opportunity to make amends and start fixing the bond between her and her father; she needed to take it.

"Up so early, my child?"

Lucy turned sharply to see Master Makarov smiling at her from his current position on the bartop.

"Good morning, Master. I was just looking for a job."

"First solo mission, eh? Let's have a look."

Obediently, Lucy handed the flier over for the older man to inspect. At length, he nodded his approval, "Yes, yes. You should be just fine on your own for this one. I'm proud to see you spreading your wings a bit, Lucy."

"Thank you, Master. Could you mark me down for a few more days?"

"Hm? This is a simple mission, it shouldn't take more than half a day to complete."

"I know, but… My father works in Acalypha. I thought it might be nice to visit him."

It may have been a trick of the light, but Lucy could have sworn she'd seen tears in the master's eyes. However, when he turned around, he was wearing one of the biggest grins she'd ever seen, "What a thoughtful idea. Of course, my dear. Take the week and reconnect. We never do hold family quite as close as we should, after all."

"Thank you, Master Makarov."

"Oh, Lucy! You're here early," Mirajane had managed to untangle herself from her siblings and was smiling at the blond.

"Good morning, Mira."

"Can I interest you in some strawberry pancakes this morning?"

"Always, Mira."

The bombshell barmaid laughed lightly and began making breakfast, the aromas slowly awakening the rest of the guild.

"Lucy!"

"Hey, Happy."

"Natsu and I are gonna take Lisanna fishing today. Come with us!"

"Yeah, Luce, it'll be fun."

Lucy shook her head, "Sorry, guys, but I have a job today."

"Oh, where are we going?"

"No, no, you don't need to come. Go fishing. Have fun. You should spend this time with Lisanna and catch up. Besides, the weather's perfect for fishing."

"But-"

"Don't worry, Natsu. It's just a small, easy job to cover rent. Since I forgot to pay it last week."

Natsu gave her a blank look before realization dawned on his face, "Oh, no! We completely forgot! We were gonna take a job before the whole Edolas thing and then the party… Sorry, Luce."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I forgot about it too."

"I'm sure Lisanna will understand… Hey, maybe we can bring her with us! I'll go let her know."

Lucy quickly grabbed Natsu's wrist before he could get too far, "Hold on a second, Natsu. It's fine. I can handle this one on my own."

He frowned at her, "But… We're partners."

"Of course we are. But that doesn't mean we need to do every job together. You and Happy go on missions without me sometimes, too. Besides… This one's in Acalypha."

"What's in Acalypha?"

"Isn't that were your dad lives now?" Happy inquired around a mouthful of fish.

"That's right. I'm going to visit him when I'm done with the job, and I would rather… Well…"

"She wants some time to reconnect with him, just like I've been doing with Mira and Elfman," Lisanna sat down in one of the vacant seats, "I heard what happened with him, but I'm glad that you're trying to work past that and make things right."

"Thank you."

Lisanna smiled brightly at the blond, "Take all the time you need; I've learned that Fairy Tail will always be waiting for you. And when you do get back, we can all go fishing together."

Lucy nodded, "That sounds like a plan, I'll definitely be looking forward to it. Keep Natsu in check for me, will you?"

"Oh, give me the easy job, why don't you?" Lisanna joked back, laughingly, "Good luck on your job, Lucy. Be safe."

"You're sure you don't want us to come with you?" Natsu pouted at her, but Lucy could tell that he also really wanted to spend time with Lisanna.

"I'll be fine. You know I'm never alone, anyway. I'll be back before you guys can even miss me. That's a promise." Lucy waved as she headed back to her apartment to pack. Since the master had given her a week's leave, Lucy was going to make the most of it. Of course, she was still mindful that she needed to be back before the end of the week to pay her rent, but that didn't mean she couldn't spend some extra time out. She decided that five days would be a suitable amount of time, and would give her some wiggle room to ensure she made it back on time. Once she'd packed everything she'd need she glanced at the clock and shrugged, "Well, no time like the present."

* * *

I'm back, errybuddy! *Flails* I'm sure you all must be absolutely _thrilled_ to see me on another story! (I know, I know, I should finish what I started, and I'll get to it... Probably.) Anywho, welcome to my newest plot-bunny. MidLu gets so little love. Additionally, I'm working on an original book I'd like to publish at some point, but I would honestly like a few trial readers to help me fine-tune and edit. If you like my writing style and would be interested in helping me out that way, please do send me a message. Cheers!


	2. Chapter 2: Crash and Burn

Magnolia Station was as busy as ever when Lucy bought her train ticket. She'd catch the next train to Acalypha, which would arrive in fifteen or so minutes. In the meantime, she plucked a newspaper off the stand and scanned the headline.

"Prison break?" Her brow furrowed, lips pulling into a deep frown as she read the article. Apparently, a few members of the Oracion Seis had managed to escape and were now at large. A sigh escaped her. All that work to put them behind bars, just for them to escape scarcely a month later. At least only a few had escaped and not all of them. Cobra, Midnight, and Racer had broken out, but the other three remained locked away. Personally, that was more than fine with Lucy. She'd have had some serious reconsiderations if Angel had gotten loose. Shaking her head, she replaced the newspaper just as her train pulled into the station. Thanks to the early afternoon time, the train wasn't overly crowded and finding a seat was easy enough. Summoning Plue for company, the blond gazed out the window as the train departed. The ride was unusually quiet; her journeys were usually filled with her teammates noise. At least she didn't have a sick dragon slayer to deal with. Lucy chuckled to herself, then raised an eyebrow at Plue, who seemed interested in something a few cars down. No one was paying her any mind, so Lucy followed the little snowman through the cars until they came to the cargo hold.

"What are you doing?" She asked the Canis Minor spirit as he nosed through some large crates.

"Pun-puuun!"

Lucy tilted her head, wondering what he could have found behind those crates, but stepped forward to have a look anyway. She gasped quietly. A hooded figure was leaned against the crates, out of sight and apparently asleep. Curiosity got the better of her and she moved so that she could peer under the hood. What she saw made her recoil sharply, reeling backwards and landing on her butt with a noticeable thud. The sleeping man sighed softly, but made no other movement. It had to be him, then, to sleep through that. Midnight, of the Oracion Seis, was on this train. Lucy grasped her keys, prepared to call security and see that the reflector mage was returned to his prison cell. However, he shifted in his sleep, causing his hood to drop a little and giving her a moment to examine his face. He looked about as she remembered him; from the two-tone hair to the impeccable make up (once again she felt a pang of jealousy at how well he applied the stuff), but he looked thinner, paler, and the bags under his eyes were noticeable. He looked… Vulnerable. Lucy's hand tightened around her keys for a moment before replacing them on her hip with a slow exhale. She shook her head and reached forward, tugging the hood of the cloak he wore back over his head, hiding his features. Rubbing her temples, she turned on her heel and made her way back to her seat, where she rested her head against the cool glass of the window.

 _What was I thinking? I should have called security. I should still call security. But I just… Couldn't do it._ Cursing her bleeding heart, Lucy crossed her arms and stared out the window, still attempting to come to terms with her decision. She hadn't realized she'd dozed off until the horrible sound of screeching breaks and crumpling metal startled her awake. Wide eyed, she had but a moment to react as the train lurched off the tracks, careening into a gorge in a twisted mess of smoke and iron. Wincing from the impact, Lucy took in her situation. She was unharmed, though a large portion of the ceiling of her car had her barricaded in her seat. "Virgo."

"Princess! Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine, but can you hold my bag in the spirit world? I gotta deal with this."

"Yes, Princess!"

As soon as the maid left, Lucy gripped another key, "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"

The barricade was no trouble for Taurus, and before long the two were surveying the wreckage.

"Alright, use your ax to break into some of these cars. It's burning up fast, so we need to get everyone out right away!"

The usually perverted bull was quite serious as he swung his ax into the nearest train car, creating an opening.

"Move on to the next one, Taurus, I'll get them out."

As she emerged from the car, having directed all the passengers out first, Lucy glanced at the rest of the train. Much of the crew had taken Taurus' lead and were breaking into the upended cars and ushering people out. Her chocolate brown eyes scanned the train before her brain registered that the cargo hold was a mangled heap of steel. And on fire.

"Oh… Oh, no!" Without much more than a thought, she rushed forward, ignoring the warning cries of those who noticed her. There must have been something explosive in there for it to be burning this fast, Lucy thought as she frantically tried to find a way in. The car had detached from the one in front of it and had been crushed from behind, forcing it up at an angle over the other car. There was a hatch on top of the cargo hold, but the angle was too steep for it to stay open. Still, it was her best shot. Using her whip to fling herself up onto the car, Lucy anchored herself as best she could and pulled on the hatch. Of course, due to the mangled state of the car, the hatch wasn't going to come up easily.

"Come on, come on," Lucy grit her teeth, pushing against the hatch with every muscle she had. Finally, it came loose and she quickly ducked under it, propping it open with her body despite how heavy it was. She had to squint through the smoke, but she eventually found Midnight reflecting a wall of flame and looking frantically for an exit point.

"Midnight!" She screamed his name as loud as she could, hoping he would hear her over the roar of the fire. His head whipped to look at her, and she watched as he pushed back his confusion to make a break for it. Something on the other end of the car caught fire and exploded, causing the whole car to lurch dangerously. On impulse, Lucy unfurled her whip, wrapping it around the unsuspecting reflector mage and hauling him through the hatch. Momentum carried them both off the roof as another explosion knocked the car loose from its temporary mooring. Lucy felt a hand wrap around her arm, pulling her up as the cargo hold began to fall. Not needing further encouragement, Lucy scrambled out of the way as the car came crashing down to the ground. Midnight grabbed her wrist again, dragging her away from the train with an urgency that Lucy knew well enough not to argue with. A yelp escaped her as whatever else was in the hold exploded violently and she and Midnight were both thrown to the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut, preparing to be peppered with fire and shrapnel, but it never came. Cautiously opening one eye, she saw Midnight above her, eyes closed and brow furrowed in concentration. His arms caged her in and were shaking slightly as he maintained a reflective bubble around the both of them. Once the air had gone still, he released a breath and rolled off of her, dispersing his magic. Lucy sat up, taking in the wreckage. Or, what was left of it. The blast had annihilated most of the train, leaving crater where the origin had been. Fire had scorched everything to ash for a good distance… And Midnight had reflected all of it. Lucy turned to glance at the other mage, who was still laying on his back and panting slightly, "Are you alright?"

He cracked one eye open, then the other, before pulling himself into a sitting position. He seemed exhausted, and Lucy wondered how long he'd been keeping the fire at bay before she'd shown up. To answer her question, he nodded at her, but his brows were drawn together in confusion and slight recognition as his crimson eyes bored into hers.

"I… Know you."

His voice was quiet as his eyes mapped her face. Lucy fought back a blush at being started at so intensely, giving him time to come to the realization on his own. His gaze wandered down her body, but was not perverted. Rather, he seemed to be searching her for any clue as to her identity. His eyes locked onto her keys, then trailed her arm to fixate on her hand. More specifically, her guild mark. The effect was instantaneous. Midnight recoiled, eyes narrowing defensively as he put some distance between them. Lucy stayed still, gazing evenly at him, "Thank you. You saved my life during that explosion."

"I suppose that makes us even," he replied, though the wariness hadn't gone from his eyes, "Why?"

"Why?"

"Why'd you help me out of there? How'd you even know I was in there to begin with?"

Lucy shrugged, "What, was I supposed to let you burn to death? Or explode?" She shook her head, "And… My spirit Plue found you sleeping there earlier."

"You could've turned me in."

"I could have. But I didn't."

"I don't understand."

Lucy laughed quietly, giving him a small smile as she got to her feet, "You know… Neither do I."

Midnight raised an eyebrow, clearly not entirely pleased by her response. He got slowly to his feet, but doubled back over immediately with a sharp grunt.

"You're hurt!" Lucy crossed over to him quickly, pulling him back down to the ground. He flinched away from her, but she was too busy with her keys to notice.

"Damn. I've been meaning to have Gemini copy Wendy for her healing, but… Virgo!"

"Punishment, Princess?"

"Not this time. I need you to help me bandage him."

Virgo nodded, "At once, Princess. It seems that he sustained some burns on his side. I'll need to you support him, Princess, while I dress his wounds."

Lucy nodded, moving behind the stunned reflector mage and letting him rest on her lap. Virgo produced an ointment and bandages out of seemingly nowhere before turning her serious gaze to Midnight, "This will sting. Prepare yourself."

Midnight took a deep breath, the nodded. Virgo worked quickly, applying the ointment and bandaging the young man's torso with enviable finesse. Through it all, Midnight had only hissed once as she'd applied the ointment.

"I shall take my leave, Princess," Virgo dismissed herself with a bow. Lucy carefully helped Midnight into a sitting position, "Can you stand?"

He nodded mutely, standing gingerly. Lucy steadied him with her hands lightly on his shoulders as he winced from his injury. Approaching voices caught the celestial mage's attention and she gasped, "Crap. Hurry!" She ushered Midnight behind some rubble, then darted back out to meet the train crew.

"Did everyone make it out?"

"It seems so, miss. Are you alright? You're the mage right? The one with the cow thing?"

Lucy nodded, "Yes, that's right. I'm fine, but do we know what caused the derailment?"

"Someone tampered with the tracks, it looks like. There shouldn't have been anything flammable in cargo, either. We'll be launching a full investigation into this, but for now all the train lines are going to be suspended. They're dispatching vehicles to take everyone into Clover. We'll figure out alternate transport from there. Please reconvene with the other passengers, Miss, it wouldn't do to be left behind."

"Of course. I think I heard some other people that way," Lucy pointed in another direction, "I don't know if they're still there though."

"Thanks for the help, Miss."

"Don't mention it," Lucy smiled, but as soon as they were out of sight, she ran back to where Midnight was. She was surprised to see him in a new cloak, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Your pink haired spirit brought this."

"Thank goodness for Virgo. Come on, let's get you out of here."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because I feel like it? Why are you asking so many questions?"

Midnight stopped, regarding her critically from beneath his hood, "Have you forgotten what I was a part of? What I helped do?"

"No. And while the whole Nirvana thing was a horrendous idea, I'm not ready to believe that you're inherently evil, or whatever Era's spouting these days."

"I-"

"You could have let me die in that explosion. You didn't have to shield me too."

"You saved me first. I owed you."

"I don't think a monster would much care for repaying debts. Ergo, you are not a monster," Lucy said simply, "Look. I saw you on the train earlier, just sleeping, not really causing anyone harm. And I don't get the idea that you broke out of prison to commit more Nirvanas. Am I correct?"

Midnight shook his head, "Nirvana was Brain's scheme. The Seis were just the tools he chose to use."

"And what are your plans now?"

"I don't know."

Lucy smiled at him, "Well, the fact that you didn't answer with 'kill everyone' is good enough for me. Far as I'm concerned, you're just a guy trying to get his life back on track. There's no need to bring the council into this, and no need to rat you out. Besides, I'm pretty sure if you hadn't been blocking those flames, that car would have blown up a hell of a lot sooner. So your pretty much saved everyone, if you think about it."

"I don't-"

"Let's at least get to Clover, okay? After that we can go our separate ways and not worry about this any more. But I'm not leaving you out here with that injury."

Midnight sighed slowly, but nodded. He tensed when she moved to support him as the walked, but eventually relaxed when it became evident that he needed to lean on something, at least for now.

"You know, it could be a big boost for your reputation if you turned me in."

"What, do you want to go back to prison?"

Midnight shook his head, "Of course not. I'm just trying to understand why you'd choose to help me instead of claiming the reward from turning me in."

"I did think about it," Lucy admitted, "When I first saw you sleeping there. But I couldn't do it. Even though everything logical in me said that I should, I couldn't. I'm sorry I can't give you a more definitive answer; but I don't fully understand myself. At any rate, there's no point worrying about it now. I've helped you three times now; if I attempted to turn you in at this point, I'd just be seen as an accomplice."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. It was my choice. And I feel like it was the right one. I don't regret not turning you in, and I promise I'll keep you hidden until we split up in Clover."

Midnight scoffed quietly, and she could practically feel him roll his eyes.

"Tell me something. Did Angel break her promises often?"

"What? No. Not unless she absolutely couldn't help it."

Lucy stopped and turned so that she could face him properly, her eyes serious, "Then you know what kind of weight the word of a celestial mage carries. I gave you my promise, and I will keep it."

Midnight stared at her for a moment, lips parted slightly in shock and a light blush across his pale cheeks. He shook his head slightly, clearing his throat, "Thank you. I'll try not to cause you trouble, but if I get caught, you don't know me. I tricked you and you didn't know anything about who I am or what I've done."

"Midnight…"

"If I get caught, I don't want you to get dragged down with me."

"A little late for that. Let's just not get caught."

"Are you always this reckless?"

Lucy smiled slightly, "Hmm, probably? I guess my team's rubbed off on me more than I'd thought. Believe it or not, I'm actually the voice of reason in my group."

"Dear God," Midnight muttered as they approached the other stranded passengers. A thoughtful hum escaped him as he seemed to recall something, "Actually, no. I believe it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Cobra told me about his fight with the fire dragon slayer, and I fought Titania myself. You fairies are batshit."

Lucy laughed, shrugging, "Yeah, we get that a lot. Here, come on," She helped the male onto the awaiting bus and guided him to one of the seats in the back and slipped in next to him. The attendants had said that it would be about a two hour ride into Clover Town. After about fifteen minutes, Lucy turned to her companion, wanting to make conversation, but found him fast asleep. She chuckled quietly, "Why am I even surprised? You were always sleeping…"

 _Not to mention how exhausted he looked after blocking that explosion. I wonder how much of his magic that actually took. Well, it's not like there's much else to do, so might as well follow his lead on this one._

Lucy ran a finger over Horologium's key, requesting an alarm in an hour and a half, then scooted a little closer to the reflector mage. She was mindful of his injury, but managed to cuddle up to him and rest her head on his shoulder, which she found surprisingly comfortable. As if by instinct, Midnight shifted to rest his own head against hers, a contented sigh escaping him and causing the blond to giggle slightly. As wary and borderline standoffish as he was when he was awake, Midnight was actually kind of adorable when he was sleeping. Not that she'd ever tell him that; he'd probably throw her into a nightmare if she did.


	3. Chapter 3: Dinner and a Manicure

She groaned softly as the pulsing through her magic became more insistent, "Okay, okay. I'm awake," she mumbled, brushing her fingers once again over her clock spirit's key. She shifted slightly, only to find that Midnight was still leaning against her, fast asleep. Not having the heart to wake him just yet, she settled back into her original position with a quiet huff, "You are so spoiled," she murmured quietly as she gently tugged the edge of his cloak more securely around him. Her eyes flicked to the window, and noted that the sun was beginning its descent.

"May I have your attention, please?" One of the attendants was on the loudspeaker.

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. The rail line is in the process of securing more vehicles to transport you all to your original destinations, but it is taking more time than anticipated. To make up for this, the rail line has paid for accommodations for everyone for the night. We'll have enough buses up and running tomorrow, so don't worry. Please grab a voucher from me before disembarking and present it to the front desk at the Golden Clover Inn. We will be arriving shortly."

 _Well, that's one less thing to worry about,_ Lucy thought as the bus rounded a bend. The derailment had really caused a lot of problems. Although, she supposed it was more the reason for the derailment than the accident itself. The bus pulled into Clover, and people began to shuffle off.

"Midnight? Midnight. Hey. Heeey," She prodded the man gently in the stomach, to no avail, "Oh, seriously, I swear you could sleep through anything," Lucy growled at him, poking him in various other areas. Finally, she grasped a longer strand of white hair and tickled his nose with the end of it. His nose twitched slightly, eyebrows furrowing before he cracked one eye open to glare at her. She smiled slightly at him, "You are really, _really_ difficult to wake up. We're here."

He grunted at her, mumbling something, but followed her off of the bus once she'd grabbed a voucher, "What's that?"

"A voucher for a room tonight. It's taking them some time to get organized after what happened, so they're putting everyone up for the night."

"Oh."

"You know… It's kind of a miracle that you didn't burn alive back there."

Midnight raised an eyebrow at her from beneath his hood.

"Do you always sleep so soundly?"

"First off, you tickling my nose is not anywhere near the same as a train car exploding. Second, my magic tends to react to danger, so it's not a question of sleeping soundly."

"Now that you mention it, I remember you deflected an attack from Natsu without waking up… That's really interesting. I'm useless without my keys. Anyway, this is our stop."

" _Our_ stop?"

"Of course. You need a place to spend the night too, and there's no way I'm leaving you out on the streets with that injury. Besides, you still look tired," Lucy added, somewhat guiltily.

"I'm always tired. Don't make that face."

"What face?" Lucy huffed when she realized he wasn't going to answer her, then approached the front desk with her voucher in hand.

"Ah, another one. Well, it's good that everyone seems to be alright," the receptionist handed her a key, "There you are. Room 348. Have a good night."

"Thank you," Lucy chirped, bounding back to Midnight, who had situated himself in an unassuming corner, "Alright, let's go… Midnight? I swear to God, if you fell asleep again…"

He chuckled quietly at her, "I was messing with you. What room are we?"

"I- you- 348," Lucy muttered, leading the still amused man to the elevators.

"What would you have done if I had fallen asleep?" Midnight inquired as the blond closed the door behind them.

"Probably just tickled you again," Lucy replied, watching him as he shrugged out of the cloak.

He smirked at her, "You know, there is an easier way to wake me."

"Enlighten me."

"You were actually pretty close with the nose. But its' actually my jaw that you need to go for," He turned his head to show her a long, thin scar that began behind his ear and extended down the left side of his jaw. At Lucy's questioning look, he elaborated, "The weapon that did this was coated with a venom designed to make any wound it inflicted incredibly painful. The spot's still sensitive, even though it's been years since the injury. Just touch that scar and I'll wake up."

"But… Does it hurt?"

Midnight shook his head, "No. It's just more sensitive."

Lucy was still clearly anxious about it, and he rolled his eyes, "Here," He reached for her hand, directing it to the scar and letting her fingertips rest against the slightly raised skin.

"See? It's fine."

"Okay," Lucy agreed slowly, brushing her fingers against the scar, but pulling away quickly when a low hum of approval escaped him, "Sorry! Totally just made that awkward."

He turned from her, trying and failing to hide his embarrassment as he shook his head, "It's fine."

"Well… Man, I'm hungry. Haven't eaten since this morning," Lucy changed the subject, "Let's see what's around and I'll pick us up some dinner."

* * *

About forty-five minutes later, Lucy was walking back to the hotel, a bag of food securely in hand. She'd decided to splurge a bit, going for some fried chicken and mashed potatoes. It was nice knowing that she'd be able to eat more than a few bites of her meal before Natsu inhaled the rest of it, and Happy wouldn't be around to tease her about her weight. Which was fine, thank you very much. Besides, her current companion looked like he could use the calories. The que at the restaurant had been long, so once she'd placed her order she'd headed over to the small cosmetics shop across the street. She hadn't planned on buying anything, but had ended up leaving the store with a bottle of matte black nail polish. She'd noticed Midnight's was chipping, and if there was one thing that Lucy Heartfilia could not leave alone, it was surely chipping nail polish.

"I'm back!" She called, closing the door behind her. Midnight looked up from the small travel pamphlet he'd been reading and she froze a moment, taking in his appearance. He'd obviously showered, if the damp hair and lack of makeup were any indication, but he was now dressed in a black tank top and a deliciously tight fitting pair of faded jeans. A wine colored leather jacket with white fur lining on the high collar was draped over the chair.

"Virgo?" Lucy ventured a guess.

Midnight nodded, "Yeah. She was just there when I got out of the shower. Gave me a damn heart attack, but re-wrapped my side and gave me these."

"Sounds about right. She loves dressing people," Lucy appraised him critically once more, "She's got good taste though; that suits you."

"Uh… Thanks," Midnight tugged slightly and one of the longer white strands of his hair, than eyed her bag with interest, "So that smells amazing."

"Oh, right! I got some fried chicken and potatoes… You're not vegetarian, are you?"

Midnight laughed at her, shaking his head, "No. If I was, I would have told you before you left. I was kind of expecting you to be, though."

"Me? Oh, nah. Though I was considering it, just so Natsu would stop literally eating me out of house and home."

"Cobra was the same way!" Midnight huffed, apparently irritated by the memory of the poison dragon slayer, "That guy's stomach is a bottomless pit, I swear to you."

Lucy sighed, "Dragon slayers, right? Try living with three of them," she quipped, handing Midnight a box of food and taking the other for herself, "Though to be fair, Wendy's manners are absolutely angelic compared to Natsu and Gajeel."

"Wendy? The Sky Maiden?"

"That's right. She joined Fairy Tail after the Nirvana incident."

Midnight frowned slightly, "Wasn't she part of that Cat guild? Cat sanctuary or something?"

"Cait Shelter," Lucy corrected absently, "About that…" As they ate, Lucy recounted the story of the Nirvit tribe and how the guild had been created for Wendy's sake.

"It was hard for her to watch her family disappear like that, but Wendy's a tough girl, and always optimistic. She decided to join Fairy Tail, and fit in right away. I've been doing my best to keep an eye on her; make sure she's adjusting well and isn't lonely or overwhelmed… Then again, she has Carla, so I'm sure she's fine."

"If you're looking out for her, I'm sure she's quite happy," Midnight nodded, smiling slightly, "You have a very nurturing demeanor."

Lucy laughed, a little embarrassed, "Ah, thanks, I think. Most people say I'm bossy or overbearing. Mostly annoying, though."

"I can see how some people would see it that way, but I think your perceived bossiness just shows how much you care for others. I don't' find it annoying."

Lucy grinned at him, "Give it time," She joked, earning a smirk from the reflector mage. They finished dinner in relative silence, a few pockets of pleasant chit-chat punctuating the meal.

"Oh, I picked something up while I was waiting for our food," Lucy dug around in her purse once things had been cleared away. Finally, she produced the nail polish, "Aha! Here it is. I noticed yours was chipped," she explained at Midnight's curious expression, "Here, I'll redo it."

"Here are your supplies, Princess!" Virgo appeared at Lucy's elbow with a small bin containing nail polish remover, cotton squares, base coat and top coat, cuticle oil and orange sticks.

"Thank you, Virgo," Lucy smiled at her maid spirit, not at all startled at her sudden appearance. Midnight, on the other hand, had jumped visibly, watching the short exchange with an incredulous expression.

"How often does that happen for you to not even be phased by that?" He inquired still staring at the spot Virgo had been standing before she'd disappeared into sparkles.

"At least three times daily," Lucy replied, "Now come here."

Shaking his head, Midnight sat across from her, offering his hand over the small card table when prompted, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Besides, you're doing mine next," Lucy smiled at him as she removed the nail polish.

"Fair enough."

An hour later, the pair of them were sporting matching matte black nails. Virgo appeared once more to collect the supplies, then bid them both good night Lucy glanced at the clock and yelped, "It's that late?! We should probably get some sleep."

"No complaints here," Midnight agreed with a slight smirk.

Lucy rolled her eyes, "From you? Of course not," she tugged her oversized T-shirt down over her shorts and crawled into her bed, "Hey, Midnight?" She asked just as the man in question flicked off the lamp.

"Yeah?"

"Where will you go now?"

"I don't know. I was just hopping trains, trying to make sure my trail was covered. I hadn't really thought about a destination. Why?"

"Just curious."

"What about you? Was Acalypha your stop, or were you transferring?"

Lucy shook her head, even though he probably couldn't see her do so, "I was headed for Acalypha. I have a job there, and… Well, I wanted to visit my father."

"Your father?"  
"Mm-hm. Last time we ran into each other, we didn't part on the greatest of terms." Slowly, she launched into the story of how her father had hired Phantom Lord to force her to return home, which then prompted the story of Lissana's miraculous return from Edolas and Lucy's subsequent decision to reconnect with her own family.

"Man, you fairies keep busy," Midnight commented dryly.

"We certainly do," Lucy agreed, "Well, sorry for talking so long. Good night."

"Night."

* * *

Lucy's such a sweetheart. Anywho, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed; it lets me know that I haven't totally lost my writing ability, lol. Cheers!


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